Police Kill Suspect During 'Scuffle'
Mother Calls 911 To Report Son
POSTED: 6:37 a.m. MST January 30, 2002
DENVER -- Denver police are investigating a deadly police shooting Wednesday morning that has left one family in shock.
It started around 8 p.m. Tuesday when a defiant teenager was lashing out against his mom. Regina Smith said that she got in a fight with her son Greg (pictured, left) and he started to throw things around the house. When he smashed her car window, she called 911.
When police arrived at the home on the 3000 block of Garfield on the report of a domestic disturbance, Greg Smith had fled.
When the 18-year-old returned to the home four hours later, his mother said that he was still angry.
"He went in the drawer, got the knife, gave it to me and told me to kill him," Keith said.
When officers arrived for the second time, they found Smith at the bottom of the stairs leading to his room, 7NEWS reported. Smith told officers that he didn't want to go to jail and then pulled out a knife, 7NEWS reported.
"A confrontation ensued and the suspect was shot," a police press release said.
But according to the suspect's sister, Joann (pictured, right), Greg Smith was nowhere close enough to officers -- who were standing on the top of the stairwell -- to be that much of a threat.
"He didn't go to stab or swing it or anything, he just stood there. And the police never did say drop your weapon or anything ... just a shot came out of nowhere, just one pop and that's when I flew back and started screaming and jumped and I started coming this way and four or five more shots came," Joann Smith told 7NEWS.
The suspect was taken to University Health Sciences Center Hospital where he died a short time later.
His family is now questioning whether the police action was appropriate because although they wanted him arrested and admitted that he had a bad temper, they did not want him dead.
They also told 7NEWS that Greg Smith was hearing impaired and he may not have understood the officers.
But police have a policy -- if they see a weapon, they shoot to kill, 7NEWS reported.
That policy now has Regina Keith and her family wishing that she never made that 911 call.
Denver police are not releasing any information about the officers who were involved but a police representative told 7NEWS that the officers on the scene followed proper procedure.
This is the seventh officer-involved shooting by Denver police
in the last year and the sixth fatal one.
It started around 8 p.m. Tuesday when a defiant teenager was lashing out against his mom. Regina Smith said that she got in a fight with her son Greg (pictured, left) and he started to throw things around the house. When he smashed her car window, she called 911.
When police arrived at the home on the 3000 block of Garfield on the report of a domestic disturbance, Greg Smith had fled.
When the 18-year-old returned to the home four hours later, his mother said that he was still angry.
"He went in the drawer, got the knife, gave it to me and told me to kill him," Keith said.
When officers arrived for the second time, they found Smith at the bottom of the stairs leading to his room, 7NEWS reported. Smith told officers that he didn't want to go to jail and then pulled out a knife, 7NEWS reported.
"A confrontation ensued and the suspect was shot," a police press release said.
But according to the suspect's sister, Joann (pictured, right), Greg Smith was nowhere close enough to officers -- who were standing on the top of the stairwell -- to be that much of a threat.
"He didn't go to stab or swing it or anything, he just stood there. And the police never did say drop your weapon or anything ... just a shot came out of nowhere, just one pop and that's when I flew back and started screaming and jumped and I started coming this way and four or five more shots came," Joann Smith told 7NEWS.
The suspect was taken to University Health Sciences Center Hospital where he died a short time later.
His family is now questioning whether the police action was appropriate because although they wanted him arrested and admitted that he had a bad temper, they did not want him dead.
They also told 7NEWS that Greg Smith was hearing impaired and he may not have understood the officers.
But police have a policy -- if they see a weapon, they shoot to kill, 7NEWS reported.
That policy now has Regina Keith and her family wishing that she never made that 911 call.
Denver police are not releasing any information about the officers who were involved but a police representative told 7NEWS that the officers on the scene followed proper procedure.
This is the seventh officer-involved shooting by Denver police
in the last year and the sixth fatal one.Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
